US Wall Street Journal correspondent arrested/detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A US correspondent for the Wall Street Journal has been arrested and detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage, i24News reports. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Thursday that WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich, aged 31, has been taken into custody in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Independent media outlets have said Gershkovich was reporting on the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group at the time of his arrest, i24News said. The journalist has press accreditation issued by the Russian foreign ministry.

Announcing Gershkovich’s arrest, the FSB said it had “halted the illegal activities of the U.S. citizen” who was “suspected of spying in the interest of the American government,” i24News reports. “The foreigner was detained in Yekaterinburg while attempting to obtain classified information,” the FSB said, adding that Gershkovich was accused of gathering information “on an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

Gershkovich will be held until a hearing on May 29, a press service for the Moscow judicial system said in a statement. Gershkovich’s arrest is the “most serious public move against a foreign journalist since Russia invaded Ukraine,” i24News noted.

In a statement defending Gershkovich, the WSJ said: “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich. We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”

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